Michigan State basketball: 3 players primed to level up in conference play

Michigan State basketball is ramping up Big Ten play and after knocking Penn State out in the first game of January, the Spartans are hoping to get more production from some players not named Tyson Walker who is a legitimate conference player of the year threat.

Walker has been great this year and AJ Hoggard has been much better in the past month after a horrid start to his senior year but these guys will have to step up to help them out.

These three guys are primed to level up in conference play.

Not many players have seen quite the improvement that Tre Holloman has experienced this year. The sophomore point guard has taken a major leap this season after averaging just 1.3 points and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from the field and 23 percent from deep.

Just how much has he improved this season? He's averaging 6.1 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 44 percent from the floor and 42 percent from deep.

Holloman is poised to have an even bigger role with Jeremy Fears Jr. missing the remainder of the season with an off-court injury suffered during Christmas break.

I'm expecting major things from Holloman in Big Ten play, especially after his 10-point, six-assist performance against Penn State on Thursday.